Work Accidents Caused by Harsh Weather Conditions

Posted on Jan 7, 2016 9:23am PST

At the beginning of the year, New York City can fall victim to all manner
of harsh weather conditions delivered by Mother Nature. Rain can flood
the gutters and walkways, and thick piles of snow can frost up the streets.
When everything is said and done, the inclement weather means one thing:
more accidents, including those that happen at the workplace.

One question comes up every year: is an employer responsible for accidents
on the job that occur directly due to bad weather? Imagine that an employee
is coming in for a shift at a retail location and slips on the tile right
at the entranceway. Who is at fault here? Can the manager or supervisor
really be to blame for extra water coming in off the sidewalk, or should
the employee have known that plenty of rain means increased
slip and fall hazards?

Employer Responsibilities Are Year-Round

No matter what sort of torrential storm is raging outside, an employer’s
responsibility to provide a safe environment for both employees and customers
never fades. In harsh weather conditions, it might mean putting up wet
floor signs at entrance ways, assigning employees to the task of sweeping
away water, snow, and debris, and other precautions that are not usual
in other seasons. Safety must always come first, and it begins with how
management conducts itself and trains their employees.

If you have been hurt on the job due to environmental hazards, it could
be possible that your employer had the responsibility to keep you safe
but failed to do so through negligence or generally poor safety practices.
To get to the bottom of things and determine if you should be receiving
workers’ compensation benefits for your accident, you should
contact our New York City personal injury attorneys from Lurie, Ilchert, MacDonnell
& Ryan LLP. We have secured more than half a billion dollars for our
clients throughout the years and are always available during emergency
situations.

The information on this website is for general information purposes only.
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